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Published: April 23rd 2013
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After the rush of our first couple of days in Egypt we slowed it down a bit and spent some time floating down the Nile on a felucca. The weather was perfect for it! Not too hot with a bit of a breeze and bright sunshine in a deep blue sky. We cheated a bit and had a second boat with some facilities meet us as designated spots for lunch and supper. It was a luxury that we all appreciated! The boat ride was a good opportunity for us to chat and get to know each other better, and to just sit back and watch the scenery go by. Or nap. Whichever. I can't say that a lot happened on the boat, but it was nice. Feluccas aren't allowed to sail after dark, so in the evening we pulled in to shore and had supper on the support boat. We star-gazed and listened to the quiet sounds of the Nile at night time..and debated about some silly issue far into the night. (I can't even remember what the conversation was about, only that it seemed to be a topic we couldn't get away from that evening) We slept on our feluccas,
and it was surprisingly cold! I was very happy that I decided to pack my sleeping bag to use as well as the blankets they provided. My sleeping bag has a sort of hood and I had the drawstring pulled tight around my face in the morning which our guide thought was hilarious and teased me about it.
The morning meant a return to the road as we continued on our way to Luxor. Since the revolution people have been doing all sorts of weird things because there aren't policies or structures in place to prevent them from doing whatever they please. One of these things is putting speed bumps in front of their houses. They put them in themselves and make them as big as they want, then mark them with tires or barrels. Its not just one or two people that have decided that this is a good way to ensure the safety of their families along the road, it seems like every second or third household has put these in! As someone who gets motion sick in vehicles at the best of times, I was not impressed by this new craze! I should have taken gravol, but instead I was miserable and cranky and had a wicked headache by the time we arrived at our destination 4 hours later. On a drive that should have taken two and a half hours. Once we got to Luxor and checked in to our hotel we walked to the marketplace to a little restaurant for lunch. The walk revived me and the food helped too. This was the first time we tried Kochari. It was so good! I have to say I enjoyed the food everywhere we went. Good food and good tea! I would go back to Egypt just for the food and the tea.
Most of the group went to Karnak temple after lunch, but since I was still feeling a bit of a headache and it was 40 degrees outside I decided to skip it and stay back at the hotel in the afternoon. I know I missed a great temple, and my mom raved about how awesome it was, but sometimes its better to listen to your body rather than push on when you feel ill. I washed some of my clothes in the meantime...and they were filthy! The water was black when I was finished and there was a nice layer of sand in the bottom of the tub when I drained the water. gross. Egypt is not an easy place to stay clean!
We spent the evening at a little outdoor restaurant having more delicious food and enjoying conversation and laughter. Some of us wandered the market afterwards...which was an adventure in itself. It was a tourist market so the level of hassle is high to begin with, but I think we were the only tourists there so it was very overwhelming trying to fend people off. There is no such thing as just having a look at a market stall here. Close to the end of my patience, I encountered a man with a piece of paper. He asked me if I spoke English. Suspiciously I answered yes. He asked if I could write...Again I answered yes, just wondering where this was leading and what the sales pitch was going to be. As it turns out he actually just needed some help. He wanted me to copy a British address onto a postcard and write a message congratulating his British friends on the birth of their first child. He was so nice! I was happy to help him once I realized he wasn't trying to sell me a scarf or a replica pyramid. I wrote out his message and chatted with him until the other members of our group started to get cranky with the marketplace as well. They came and found me and we made our way back to the hotel. It felt like we had wandered a long ways in the market, but once we were out in a a normal street we realized we had only walked about three blocks! Its amazing how time and distance become distorted in a bazaar.
Day 2 in Luxor will have to be another entry, I need to sleep!
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